Ordering Food and Drink ESL Restaurant Role-Plays, Activities and Worksheets

Exclusive

Can I take your order?

ESL Restaurant Game - Speaking: Role-Play, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Communicative Practice - Group Work - Elementary (A1-A2) - 20 minutes

This free ordering food and drink game helps students practice restaurant language for ordering menu items. First, students read a menu and decide on a three-course meal and drink that they would like to have. Students then write their meal on a slip of paper and keep it secret. Next, students play a card game where they try to get the four food or drink items by ordering them from the menu using restaurant language. Students take it in turns to order a menu item from another group member, e.g. Can I have..., please?, I'll have...,please, or I'd like...,please. If the group member has the menu item, they give it to the student and reply as a waiter saying 'Certainly, here you are'. If not, they say 'I'm sorry. We don't have any... left' The first student to get the four menu item cards wins the game.
Can I take your order? Preview
Preview
 
Exclusive

At the Coffee Shop

ESL Coffee Shop Role-Play - Speaking Activity: Ordering a Dialogue, Communicative Practice - Pair Work - Pre-intermediate (A2) - 30 minutes

In this useful coffee shop role-play activity, students practice ordering food and drink in a coffee shop. Students begin by writing a coffee shop dialogue out in the correct order. Next, set up the classroom tables so they act as coffee shop counters with one student standing on either side of each table facing a partner. Pairs then practice the coffee shop conversation, exchanging roles each time they complete the dialogue until they have memorized it. Students then use the structure of the dialogue and a coffee shop menu to create their own conversation in which they practice ordering food and drinks with one student being the barista and the other being the customer. Finally, pairs perform their dialogues in front of the class.
At the Coffee Shop Preview
Preview
 
Exclusive

At the Restaurant

ESL Restaurant Role-Play - Speaking Activity: Ordering a Dialogue, Role-Play, Creating a Restaurant Menu, Creating and Presenting a Dialogue - Pair Work - Pre-intermediate (A2) - 50 minutes

These productive restaurant role-play activities can be used to help students practice language for ordering food and drink. To begin, pairs of students put sentence strips in the correct order to make a restaurant dialogue between a customer and a waiter. Pairs then act out the dialogue twice with each student taking on the role of the customer and the waiter. Next, pairs create their own restaurant menu by writing a restaurant name, list of starters, main courses, desserts and drinks along with their prices. Students then use the menu and example conversation from the first activity to create their own restaurant dialogue between a waiter and a customer. After that, pairs role-play ordering food and drink in a restaurant using their menu and dialogue, exchanging roles each time they finish the conversation. Finally, students present their role-plays to the class.
At the Restaurant Preview
Preview
 
Exclusive

Fussy Eaters

ESL At the Restaurant Role-Play - Speaking Activity: Communicative Practice - Group Work - Pre-intermediate (A2) - 30 minutes

In this fun restaurant role-play activity, students take on the role of fussy eaters and order food and drink according to preferences on a role card. In groups, the student with the menu plays the role of a waiter or waitress. The other students each take on the role of a fussy eater and look at the food and drink preferences on their cards. Students then role-play a restaurant conversation where they order food and drinks from the menu, according to the preferences. Students repeat the role-play several times, exchanging roles each time they complete the conversation.
Fussy Eaters Preview
Preview
 
Exclusive

What's for lunch?

ESL Restaurant Language Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Ordering and Role-Playing a Dialogue - Pre-intermediate (A2) - 35 minutes

This handy restaurant language worksheet can be used to help students practice phrases for ordering food and drink. First, students match each ordering food and drink question with an appropriate reply. Students then write the questions and responses in the correct order to create a restaurant dialogue. Finally, students practice the restaurant dialogue with a partner and role-play it in front of the class.
What's for lunch? Preview
Preview
 
Exclusive

Dining Out

ESL Restaurant Role-Play - Speaking Activity: Communicative Practice - Group Work - Intermediate (B1) - 35 minutes

In this engaging restaurant role-play activity, students practice language for dining out at a restaurant with a friend. The role-play cards cover 20 interactions in chronological order that would happen when dining at a restaurant between a customer and a waiter, and a customer and a friend. The first student begins by picking up card number one and reading out the role-play scenario, i.e. 'Invite your friend to a restaurant one evening'. The other students listen and then perform the role-play. When the students have finished, the next student picks up the second card and so on. When everyone has finished, pairs of students role-play each interaction to the class.
Dining Out Preview
Preview
 
Exclusive

Let's Order

ESL Restaurant Language Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Labelling, Matching, Dialogue Completion - Speaking Activity: Role-Play - Pair Work - Intermediate (B1) - 25 minutes

In this free restaurant language worksheet, students learn and practice vocabulary and expressions related to ordering food and drink in a restaurant. To start, students complete a menu with headings. Students then match a waiter's questions with suitable customer responses. Next, students read six expressions a customer might say in a restaurant and match the phrases with their synonyms. After that, students use the menu along with the restaurant vocabulary and language to write customer responses to a waiter's questions. Finally, students role-play the restaurant dialogue with a partner and then present it to the class.
Let's Order Preview
Preview
 
Exclusive

Restaurant Role-Play

ESL At the Restaurant Role-Play - Speaking Activity: Communicative Practice - Group Work - Intermediate (B1) - 25 minutes

Here is a communicative restaurant role-play activity to help students practice ordering food and drink. In groups, one student takes on the role of a waiter and the other two students are customers. The customers come into the classroom and begin the role-play by asking their waiter for a table for two and a menu. The waiter follows instructions on a role card, takes the customers' orders and brings the meals. When the customers have finished their meal, they ask the waiter for the bill. The waiter then adds up the bill and gives the bill to the customers. At the same time, the customers work out what they think the bill should be. If any customers think the bill is wrong, they tell their waiter. At the end of the role-play, the customers give marks out of ten for the waiters.
Restaurant Role-Play Preview
Preview
 
Exclusive

Sally's Sandwiches

ESL Ordering Food and Drink Role-Play - Speaking Activity: Communicative Practice - Group Work - Intermediate (B1) - 20 minutes

In this communicative sandwich shop role-play activity, students order food and drink from a sandwich shop at lunchtime. In groups of three, one student takes on the role of a person ordering food and drink for themselves and a friend at lunchtime. Another student plays the role of the friend and the other student is the sandwich shop worker. The student with the menu starts the role-play by explaining what is on the menu to their friend and taking their order. The student then role-plays ordering food and drink in the sandwich shop. Students repeat the role-play three times, exchanging roles each time they complete the conversation.
Sally's Sandwiches Preview
Preview
 
Exclusive

Who said it?

ESL At the Restaurant Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Identifying, Matching - Intermediate (B1) - 20 minutes

In this insightful restaurant language worksheet, students practice phrases for ordering food and drink. Students begin by reading extracts from a restaurant dialogue and deciding who said each one, the waiter or the customer. Students then match each question or statement from the first exercise with an appropriate response. As an extension, pairs of students use the language from the worksheet to create a restaurant dialogue.
Who said it? Preview
Preview
 

ESL Essentials eBook Series

New Teaching Resources eBooks

Now Available!

Get Started Here

LATEST FREE
RESOURCES

LATEST MEMBER
RESOURCES